Automatic tile forming machine



INVENTOR.

Sheet [Ia/v bi 541-55 L. H. BATES AUTOMATIC TILE FORMING MACHINE March 4, 1969 Filed Aug. 22, 1966 L. H. BATES AUTOMATIC TILE FORMING MACHINE March 4, 1969 Filed Aug. 22, 1 9 66 Sheet INVENTOR. LL'fON H. 5/9755 irramvn s March 4, 1969 L. H. BATES I 3,430,309 I AUTOMATIC TILE FORMING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1966 Sheet Z of 5 MW I M L 7' w VA W V} an:

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Y m y United States Patent 3,430,309 AUTOMATIC TILE FORMING MACHINE Leon H. Bates, 9690 Broadmoor, Dublin, Calif. 94566 Filed Aug. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 573,978 US. CI. 2543 Int. Cl. B281) /00 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE My invention relates to a device for automatically providing substantially finished roofing tiles, or building elements of a comparable nature, which are customarily made of a cementitious mixture such as concrete or the like.

In the construction of various sorts of buildings; for example, homes, there is considerable use for a roof covering or comparable element which is fireproof, cheap, easy to fabricate, easy to handle and lay, and has a relatively long life. Such a covering is a roofing tile, usually formed of a hard cementitious material specially shaped to have a selected, cross sectional contour. A convenient or representative pattern for a tile is one that is substantially rectangular in plan and has linear characteristics longitudinally but has a corrugated or variable cross section transversely, so that adjacent tiles when laid can interlock with each other and so that the interrelated tile will remain in position.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a machine for automatically forming tiles or similar objects from a semi-fluid cementitious mixture.

Another object of my invention is to provide an auto matic tile forming machine which will distribute the cementitious mixture evenly and compactly in position for forming tiles.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic tile forming machine that will operate virtually continuously with very little supervision and that will continue to supply the desired product over an almost unlimited time.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic tile machine which is power driven and is arranged to be appropriately synchronized for automatic operation.

A further object of the invention is in general to provide an improved, economical and satisfactory automatic tile forming machine.

Other objects together with the foregoing are attained in the embodiment of the invention described in the accompanying description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of one form of automatic tile forming machine pursuant to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross section to an enlarged scale taken longitudinally of the machine in a vertical plane;

FIGURE 3 is a cross section to an enlarged scale, the plane of section being indicated by the line 33 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross section of a fragmentary nature "Ice comparable to the FIGURE 3 section but taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is an isometric perspective view showing a. finished tile and also showing the matrix or form or pallet on which the tile was made.

While the device pursuant to the invention can easily be embodied in a number of different ways, it has successfully been incorporated in the form shown herein for use in making roofing tiles of the sort shown in FIGURE 5. In this form of the arrangement, the machine includes a main frame 6 fabricated in the customary way of angles, shapes, channels and the like and designed to rest on a suitable support such as the ground 7. The main frame 6 includes a partial enclosure 8 housing much of the mechanism and on which is mounted a pair of cross shafts 9 and 11 disposed adjacent the ends of the machine. The shafts 9 and 11 carry sprockets 12 and 13 around which a pair of conveyor chains 14 and 16 are trained. The chains are of the usual sort having brackets 17 thereon projecting inwardly and, in the upper run, disposed generally in a horizontal plane to receive cross members 21 disposed at appropriate intervals along the chain.

Situated between two closely spaced cross members 21 and supported on the links of the chain are barrier plates 23 extending transversely of the machine in a vertical plane and arranged to lie rather snugly between the opposite sides of the machine, as shown in FIGURE 4.

Adjacent one end of the main frame 6 there is mounted a pallet superstructure 26. This includes an angled support 27 and the base support 28 at right angles thereto. Designed to rest on the support 27 is a stack made up of a plurality of individual pallets 31 of the general configuration shown in FIGURE 5. The pallets nest easily and each of them is preferably comprised of a metallic sheet having approximately the same configuration in plan as the resulting tile and having longitudinal corrugations 32 and perhaps a central boss 33 as well as lug depressions 34 and 36. It is to be understood that the particular configuration of the pallets used in an individual case may vary from time to time, although all of the pallets have as a common configuration a linear longitudinal shape.

The stack of pallets 31 is not only supported by the angle 27, but the pallets are likewise individually restrained by a release or feed mechanism 37 actuated by a pneumatic cylinder 38 under the control of an electrical solenoid 39. The arrangement is such that when the solenoid 39 and the cylinder 38 are actuated, the release mechanism 37 frees the bottom one of the pallets 31 from the stack while restraining all of the pallets above the released one. In this fashion, the pallets are released one at a time. The stack can be replenished from time to time by the mere addition of similar pallets to the top end of the stack.

When a single pallet is released from the bottom of the stack, it falls by gravity in a generally arcuate path with a swinging movement to lie on the subjacent chains 14 and 16. It is disposed, as shown in FIGURE 2, between successive ones of the cross or barrier plates 23, so that the pallets fall into position one at a time and in succession. As the chains 14 and 16 advance from right to left as indicated by the arrow 41 in FIGURE 1, the individual pallets are carried beneath a hopper 42 containing concrete 43 or the material to be utilized for making up the tile. The hopper 42 spans the frame 6 and has a flared upper end 44 so that additional material can be added to it from time to time. The hopper includes a leading wall 45 from and under which the contained material slumps toward the right as shown in FIGURE 2 and feeds by gravity onto the subjacent pallet entering beneath the wall 45 as the chains advance.

As the pallet traverses the bottom portion of the hopper, it not only is loaded with the cementitious material, but likewise undergoes a special treatment. For example, within the hopper is located a pair of primary agitators 46 .and 47. These are both carried on their respective cross shafts 48 and 49 extending through the side walls of the hopper mechanism, so that the agitators can be rotated in the direction of the arrows 51 in FIGURE 2. The effect of the agitator 46 is primarily to assist the material in the hopper in being compactly placed on the subjacent pallets as they travel through the hopper. The agitator 47 has particularly for its function not only the feeding of the material onto the pallet, but also some compaction of the material to make it somewhat denser.

As a further adjunct to the feeding and compacting mechanism, a vibrator weight 53 is disposed athwart the hopper. This is an eccentric weight generally in the shape of a drum mounted on a cross shaft 54 journalled in the side walls of the hopper. When the shaft 54 is rotated, the eccentric weight 53 causes substantial vibration not only of the immediately related parts but of the hopper mechanism and the subjacent pallets and conveying mechanism as well. This vibration materially assists in settling and compacting the material being laid down.

As the pallets traverse beneath the agitators and the vibrator, they advance to pass beneath a top contouring roll 56. A cross shaft 57 extending from the sides of the hopper supports the roll. The cross sectional configuration of the roll is substantially that desired for the top configuration of the finished tile and usually is substantially a complement or duplicate of the configuration of the pallet in bottom cross section. The roller thus has a substantial effect in establishing the appropriate configuration of the tile.

In addition to the effects of the roller, however, which tends to compress or compact the material, there is also provided a stationary screed plate 61 extending approximately horizontally from beneath the trailing vertical wall 62 of the hopper. The screed plate 61 is not quite horizontal, but rather is inclined downwardly in the discharge direction so that it acts as a trowel on the upper surface of the cementitious material supported by the pallets as it emerges from the hopper beneath the Wall 62.

Further trowelling operations are provided by a pair of finish trowel plates 63 and 64. These are substantially identical and are arranged with downturned flanges 66 on opposite sides mounted on pivot pins 67 so that the trailing edge of each trowel plate is at a fixed height. The leading edge, however, which is normally buoyed up by the advancing cementitious material is held to any selected maximum height by an adjusting screw 68.

As the pallets with the deposited cementitious material having the triply trowelled upper surface emerge from beneath the secondary trowel 64, they advance onto a drying conveyor 71. This comprises a chain mechanism trained around sprockets 72 and 73 supported on cross shafts 74 and 76 mounted on an extension 77 of the main frame 6. In this fashion each tile and its supporting pallet is carried to a drying operation, not illustrated since it is standard. When the tiles have been appropriately dried, they are removed from the pallets. The empty pallets, having been cleaned and conditioned, are then returned to the stack 31 for recirculation. The tiles are in substantially finished condition.

In order to drive the various rotary elements of the machine, two separate devices are provided. There is a relatively low speed drive which includes a drive motor 81 connected through a reduction gearing 82 to a chain 83. This is trained around a sprocket 84 and then passes around a sprocket 86 on the shaft 11 so that the main conveyor is so driven. The return run of the chain travels around an idler sprocket 87.

The shaft 11 is connected by a chain 88 to a sprocket 89 on the shaft 76 so that the drying conveyor is appropriately advanced. Additionally, the sprocket 84 is on a shaft also carrying a sprocket 91 joined by a chain 92 to the shaft 57 of the roller 56.

In many instances it is preferred to have an additional agitator 93 disposed in the hopper just above the roller 56 and turned in the direction of the arrow 94. Such an agitator, if provided, is mounted as before between the walls of the hopper and carries a sprocket 96 which is joined by a chain 97 to a similar sprocket on the shaft 57 so that the agitator 93 is appropriately driven.

In addition to the slow speed drive just described, there is a relatively high speed drive. On the frame 6 a motor 101 is disposed and through a belt 102 drives a pulley 103 on a cross shaft 104. A sprocket 106 on the cross shaft engages a chain 107 which is trained around a sprocket 108 on the vibrator shaft 54. Also on the vibrator shaft is a sprocket 109 around which a chain 111 is trained. This chain is also trained around sprockets 112 and 113 on the agitator shafts 48 and 49. The high speed drive then appropriately actuates the agitators and the vibrator.

In accordance with the invention, means are Provided for appropriately timing the operation of the pallet release 37 with the advance of the main conveyor chain. For that reason, on the end of the shaft 9 there is mounted a duplex cam 121 in position to actuate a switch 122 in the same electrical circuit as the solenoid 39. .Thus, as the conveyor advances, the switch 122 is periodically closed to actuate the cylinder 38 and to release the lowermost pallet from the stack 31 at an appropriate time.

Pursuant to the invention, therefore, I have provided an automatic roof tile machine which is effective without much supervision automatically to produce in virtually an endless stream a succession of individually poured roof tiles.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic tile forming machine comprising a main frame, a pair of conveyor chains arranged to advance on said main frame, a pallet feeding frame on said main frame and adapted to hold a stack of pallets, means on said pallet frame for releasing one pallet at a time from said feeding frame onto said conveyor chains, a hopper straddling said conveyor chains and supported on said main frame, means on the leading end of said hopper extending downwardly substantially into a predetermined spaced relationship with said pallet on said conveyor chains, means including a roller adjacent the trailing end of and entirely within said hopper near the hopper discharge adapted to impart a predetermined contour to cementitious material on and entirely within said pallet, a. stationary screed plate inclined downwardly in the discharge direction mounted on said frame and having one portion entirely within said hopper close to said roller and having another portion projecting outside of and beyond said trailing end of said hopper adapted to screed and trowel said cementitious material on said pallet, and means for receiving pallets and cementitious material thereon from said conveyor chains.

2. A device as in claim 1 in which said trowelling means are plates variable in height substantially to continue said screed plate.

3. A device as in claim 1 in which said pallet releasing means is synchronized with said conveyor chains to release but one pallet at a time while holding back other pallets in said stack and said released pallet is disposed on the upper run of said conveyor chains between successive ones of said barrier plates.

4. A device as in claim 1 in which said receiving means is in alignment with said conveyor chains.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,377,188 5/1921 Domine 25-43 1,694,579 12/1928 Brock 2542 3,060,540 10/ 1962 Lapidus.

WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

D. W. JONES, Assistant Examiner. 

